Shield Chronicles: Ch 2
by DarkChaoticPrince
Summary: Introduction of Marcus' close friends. Raziel, who's latent psychic abilities are strengthened when she syncs minds with her Alakazam using her own pair of spoons as a medium, and Lance, who was experimented on as a child and had his cells fused with that of a ditto, giving him the ability to transform and pull off other tricks.


"So, we meet again." Archer stood triumphantly at the summit of the mountain. Snow and ice swirled around him in a fierce storm. It flecked Archer's blue hair with white. A little ways away, Red turned to face him, his face a mask of indifference.

"Come now," offered Archer, hands raised in disappointment. "Where is that happy-go-lucky trainer I battled so long ago?" All Red did in response was grab a ball from his waist belt and maximize it. Archer simply smiled back at him. "Fine, small talk is quite boring. You sit up here waiting for a worthy challenge." Archer threw off his parka and revealed his pokeballs. He grabbed for one. "I am your last opponent, Red."

Marcus woke from his nightmare screaming. It was already slipping. A city in flames, buildings reduced to rubble and ash, people screaming in agony, and a pokemon causing all the chaos. It was blurry. He shook his head and gazed around the room he was in. He realized he had been placed in his own cot. All around him rows upon rows of empty cots were lined up. He must have slept in past breakfast. And lunch, Haunter offered. Marcus swung his feet over the side and made as if to stand, but a pair of strong hands held him firm. Marcus looked up into the eyes of the Team Shield director, Sony. "You need to build up your strength my friend", Sony offered a hot bowl of ramen, which was a treat usually saved for the adults. Marcus offered quick thanks before up-ending the bowl and slurping greedily at the noodles and pork inside. "I knew a boy with an appetite almost as big as yours." Sony sighed. "Things were much better then, back when we were children thwarting the efforts of Team Rocket." Sony returned his gaze to Marcus. "That was a very nice thing you did for the Yamask of this city. Such kindness and compassion for Pokémon is necessary in order to survive."

"Thank you sir," Marcus mumbled in between bites. He suddenly stopped. His head snapped to Sony. "You were watching me." Sony smiled a big, soft smile. Marcus settled right into it. Sony clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I came to observe the technique you would use to solve the problem. It is no secret that you are especially adept at ghost type Pokémon." Sony's smile morphed into a smirk. "I simply had to come witness the master at work." Marcus felt his face grow hot as he stammered for a response. A compliment from the boss was a good thing. Thank you sir, Haunter thought at him, internally rolling his eyes. Marcus rolled his mind's eye right back. "Thank you sir. Did I get them all? The Yamask." Sony cleared his throat and was serious again. "Actually, no. A handful of the Yamask have evolved into Cofagrigus. They are attacking any of our men who attempt to go topside. We've lost two, with four gone missing." Marcus squeezed his eyes shut. So I didn't save them all, he thought bitterly. Haunter was thinking at him with a comforting tone to his thoughts. You saved enough. The Pokémon left behind are beyond saving. Their hate fueled their evolution, making them human-hating Pokémon. Marcus opened his eyes and re-entered Sony's explanation. "-ing that once you were strong enough to go, you could take Lance and Raziel and clear the rest of the Cofagrigus out." Sony tilted his head in concern. "Can you help?"

Marcus stood up, grabbing his leather jacket and slipping into his combat boots. "You can count on me sir." He walked hurriedly towards the corridor that leads to the mess hall. Lance would be eating at a time like this, while Raziel would be training no doubt. Marcus shouldered open the double doors to find an empty mess hall. Empty, save for his best friend, Lance, stuffing his face with pizza. Lance looked up with half a slice still in his mouth. "Christ man, I thought you'd never wake up." Was all Lance said before attacking the slice again. Marcus slid into the seat next to him and grabbed a slice for himself, even though he had just eaten. The faster the pizza disappeared, the faster they could get Raziel and start on their mission. Lance propped his elbow up on the table and stared at Marcus. He was shirtless, which was nothing new to Marcus, but it constantly made him wonder. How did someone that ate as much as a whole family stay so physically fit? Lance's muscles rippled under his skin with each little movement he made. It made Marcus jealous. No matter how much he tried, he never got the muscle tone that Lance had achieved. That coupled with his blonde hair and blue eyes made Lance the most- well- beautiful person Marcus knew. Even more so than Raziel, and she was pretty.

"Dude, are you gonna talk to me or just sit there and stare?" Lance stood up and stretched. "Sony told me what's up by the way. Let's go get Raziel and finish what you started." Marcus downed his slice and got up as well. "Yea let's bounce." On the way back out into the corridor, Lance grabbed an apple. "Yo, Raz!" Lance pounded on the door to the training room. On the way over he had put on a shirt with a red and white pattern like a pokeball, but with the Team Shield logo smack in the middle. Marcus checked his own threads. Combat boots, torn black jeans, a black muscle shirt, and his leather jacket. Marcus frowned. He looked like a Goth kid standing next to Lance in his blue jeans and colorful shirt. He made a mental note to try and dress with more than black on his mind. Lance continued to pound on the door.

"Let me try man." Marcus grabbed Lance's arm before he could break down the door. Taking a deep breath, he called on some of Haunter's power to make himself intangible. He phased right through the steel door into the training room. On the other side, Raziel was a blur of black hair and glinting metal. She stopped her assault on the TD dummies and straightened up. The streaks of black that had been her hair settled almost magically back into place, flowing down her shoulders halfway down her back. It wasn't exactly normal for girls to grow their hair out in Team Shield. It was a tactical disadvantage in combat. Raziel seemed to not care. She never cut it, and always kept it straight and glossy. She had on tight leather pants with a pair of combat boots and a muscle shirt similar to Marcus'.

"I didn't hear you guys," She wiped her forehead and upended a water bottle, "Good work with the Yamask by the way. Last night was the quietest in a long time." She tossed the bottle in a nearby trash can and came up to Marcus. Even though she had been training for god knows how long, her scent was heavenly. Marcus hoped he wasn't leaning in to smell her, because that's exactly what he felt like doing. Raziel smiled and swished her hand past his head. The door swung open and Lance stumbled in, having had his ear pressed to the other side of the door.

"'Bout freakin' time," he said, straightening his clothes. "Let's bounce sis. Marcus needs our help with a mission." Lance jerked a thumb towards the ceiling. "We get to go topside for this one." Raziel smiled. She savored every moment she spent outside, even if it was only in Arisis. She quickly grabbed her pokeballs and made ready to leave. Marcus grabbed her arm as she walked by. Their eyes locked.

"Raziel," Marcus said gently, "It's a ghost type mission. Your psychic powers won't work on Cofagrigus." Raziel smirked at him. "I've been working on a new technique for ghosts, hon. I'll be fine." Marcus let her go and watched her waltz out. She sheathed her spoons in special holsters on her thighs. She, like Marcus and Lance, was also gifted with the ability to use Pokémon moves. By linking minds telepathically with her Alakazam, Raziel's natural psychic ability is increased one hundred fold. By focusing her power through the spoons, she can materialize her own psychic energy into attacks. The difference between her and Marcus was that without her spoons, Raziel couldn't focus and was unable to use her powers. Marcus' medium was inside of him, so he could use Haunter's power whenever he needed.

Lance grabbed Marcus' shoulder and pulled him after Raziel. "Let's kick butt dude." Lance practically skipped down the corridor to the elevator that led to the basement of the former Arisis gym. Lance's Ditto wobbled with almost as much gusto as its trainer. Lance typically used Ditto, although Marcus always saw Lance with multiple pokeballs at his waist, he never saw any of them. Marcus understood though. Lance's bond with Ditto was probably the most powerful among any of them. They had been through hell.

Sometime before Team Dagger's rise to power, Axis had his scientists focusing their research on one particular subject. Ditto. They had hoped to incorporate its DNA into human beings to give them the same ability to copy the cellular structure of other living beings. With that technology, Axis could create an army of shape shifting men, able to adapt to any situation. After many failed tests, and multiple attempts, all ending in death, Axis found a boy that took the Ditto cells into his own body and accepted them. After weeks of studying Lance, Axis decided that the strongest of his men would survive the procedure. On the day it was to be done, all of Axis' men assembled to receive the dose of Ditto cells. Lance, using his power, disguised himself as a Team Dagger peon, stole Ditto, and fled from the floating castle, Apollo, by assuming the form of bird Pokémon that were flying by. Marcus wasn't sure about the time in between Lance escaping and him finding Team Shield, but he did know that Lance and Ditto were quite literally inseparable. With his and Ditto's cellular structure virtually identical, they could go as far as transforming into each other. Ditto was even capable of human speech while impersonating his Trainer. It was truly a miraculous thing. Marcus wished that-

"Yo, Marcus!" Lance's voice cut into Marcus' thoughts. "Get the lead out, partner. Fill us in on this mission before we go topside." Marcus shook his head to focus his thoughts. "Ok," he began, "It's like this. . ."


End file.
